Munetaka Murakami's fourth-inning home run gave Chicago two runs, and Cleveland never produced one. The White Sox won the ALDS opener 3–0 on October 3, combining the two-run shot with five-pitcher run prevention and a later RBI double from Colson Montgomery.
The Sox took a 1–0 advantage in the best-of-five series after their Wild Card sweep in Houston. The opener added another postseason win through a different offensive total: Chicago needed only three runs because its pitching staff allowed three hits and prevented five Cleveland walks from becoming a scoring sequence.
Grant Taylor supplied the largest share of the outs. He worked four scoreless innings on 42 pitches, allowing two hits without a walk and striking out six. Hagen Smith began with 2⅔ hitless innings, although his three walks created opportunities Cleveland could not complete.
Murakami supplies the lead
Miguel Vargas was aboard when Murakami homered to right in the fourth. The Sox moved ahead 2–0 through one swing with a runner on base, rather than requiring several additional hits to score both men.
Murakami finished with two hits and two RBIs. Vargas had a hit, two walks and a run, contributing the baserunner that made the homer worth two. Chicago finished with six hits and four walks, giving it opportunities beyond the decisive fourth-inning contact even though it scored only once more.
Parker Messick allowed two runs on four hits and two walks in 4⅓ innings for Cleveland. He struck out six and threw 87 pitches. Murakami's homer accounted for the runs charged to him, while the Guardians' later pitchers had to keep the margin close enough for a possible offensive response.
They largely did that. Cleveland allowed only one additional run after Messick left. The problem was that its lineup never scored against Chicago's sequence of pitchers, leaving a three-run target it could not repair.
Montgomery adds insurance
In the seventh, Montgomery doubled to left, scoring Kyle Teel and moving Chicago ahead 3–0. Montgomery finished with two hits and an RBI, adding another useful offensive line behind Murakami's two-hit performance.
The extra run changed how much one Cleveland swing could accomplish. A two-run homer would no longer tie the score. Chicago's pitchers still had to obtain the remaining outs, but Montgomery's double increased the room available around any later baserunner.
Tristan Peters supplied the Sox's other hit. Chicago did not generate a large attack across every spot in the order, yet its two main scoring plays arrived with a runner positioned to come home. Murakami's homer and Montgomery's double converted those chances directly.
Cleveland's limited contact
Nathaniel Lowe and Travis Bazzana each doubled, and Patrick Bailey singled. Those were the Guardians' three hits. Lowe also walked, while the team drew five walks in total. The offense had baserunners but did not supply the hit that would finish a scoring opportunity.
Smith's opening 2⅔ innings were hitless with four strikeouts, but his three walks meant Cleveland was not entirely kept away from the bases. The Sox had to manage those free passes and continue preventing contact that could turn them into runs.
Taylor's four innings were different in efficiency and control. He allowed two hits but no walks, struck out six and obtained 12 outs on 42 pitches. That workload gave Chicago a substantial stretch of scoreless pitching without needing a new reliever for every frame.
The rest of the staff
Anthony Kay worked 1⅓ scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk. Bryan Hudson recorded one out without a baserunner, and Jordan Hicks supplied two outs with two strikeouts and a walk. The group completed the shutout without permitting Cleveland to turn the game's later baserunners into a run.
Chicago's pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts. Cleveland's five walks did not undermine the final result because the Guardians did not create a completed scoring sequence after reaching. The Sox's run prevention was therefore not identical to perfect control. It was the successful management of both limited hits and the opportunities created by walks.
Cleveland's bullpen allowed one run across 4⅔ innings. Erik Sabrowski was charged with the insurance run, while Daniel Espino, Hunter Gaddis, Tim Herrin and Cade Smith supplied the other relief work. That kept the final margin manageable, but the Guardians needed offense their lineup did not produce.
The first division-series win
The opener gave Chicago the first of the three wins required to advance. It did not settle the remaining series, but it established an immediate advantage through two successful scoring swings and a pitching sequence that never allowed a run.
Murakami created the lead, Montgomery expanded it, and Taylor's four innings carried the largest stretch of the defensive workload. Cleveland reached through walks often enough to create chances. Chicago made sure none became a completed scoring play.
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